Welcome to Windows 7 Forums. Our forum is dedicated to helping you find support and solutions for any problems regarding your Windows 7 PC be it Dell, HP, Acer, Asus or a custom build. We also provide an extensive Windows 7 tutorial section that covers a wide range of tips and tricks.

Windows 7: Video Card Suggestions

I pretty much figured out everything I want for my custom build that I will soon be starting and the last thing I need to decide on is my video card. I have been doing some research on cards and have been having a hard time finding what I want for the price (preferably $150 - $300 range). I am not a gamer and I mostly use my computer running various software programs (Microsoft world, excel, outlook), running trading platforms and to view the web for research, so I usually have multiple tabs open - basically a lot of multitasking. I currently have a dual monitor setup with 2 20" widescreens and will most likely add a third to my setup.

The problem I mainly have when looking at video cards is the amount of monitors they are able to support and the types of connections they have. I would like to run a minimum of 3 monitors and would like to have the option in the future to upgrade to 4 monitors. I want DVI connections or DP connections that can convert to DVI. Also, If running 3 monitors I would like to be able to make the center monitor have the task bar and be the main monitor. From my research the only video cards that have these capabilities are workstation video cards, more specifically the Nvidia NVS 450. This card even has the ability to extend the task bar along multiple monitors and allows you to stack monitors (i.e. 2 x 2 monitors). However, this card costs upwards of $500-600 and I am not certain but it may only be a 2D card. As I mentioned I don't play games but I am unsure if I will ever need 3D capabilities for anything.

With that in mind can anyone throw some suggestions my way for a graphics card that can accomplish what I am looking for? Again, I like the flexibility of the workstation cards and the fact that they can support multiple monitors but I just don't like the price - are there any mainstream cards that have these types of capabilities? From what I read the reason those cards are so expensive is because of the tech support you get with them as they are mainly intended for businesses.

Thanks for the reply bobkn. I have done this search already at newegg, the only problem I have with the cards that show up from the search is that they either had bad reviews or there were not enough reviews. I am not that knowledgeable regarding graphics cards and research can only help me understand so much - so I am hoping that someone can recommend a card from user experience or from someone who has a good understanding of video cards and can point me in the right direction based on my needs.

I should warn, however, consider also looking at your case and what you will be doing with your system. Even though you are not a gamer, depending on how heavy of a load the GPU is going to take to do stuff, especially driving 3 monitors at your wish and possibly a fourth, research a little more on the AMD cards. One concern will be the heat, as you want longevity with the system, AMD cards are known for having higher heat generations depending on load. So you may want to make sure your case will have sufficient internal venting so as not to burn out internal components like your Mainboard, Air cooled CPU and your Video cards.

Try going to Newegg.com and filtering the GPU search to the $200-$300 price range and take a look at the different cards. Personally, I prefer NVIDIA but that's just me. Anyway, take at the belowbenchmark chart. It'll give you some insight into what GPU's you might want to get.PassMark Software - Video Card Benchmarks - High End Video Cards

Thanks for the responses. I posted on another forum and someone recommended the eyefinity series cards from AMD. They seem to offer everything I am looking for in a card and for under $200 ($175 with rebate) I can get my hands on Radeon 6870.

The only thing I wanted clarification on is whether or not I can run 3 DVI monitors through this setup. I know HDMI and DVI are the same and I can only use two of those three ports, however, can I use an adaptor from the mini DP to DVI for the 3rd monitor? Or will that not work.

Video Card Suggestions

Suggestions For A Video CardI don't game but, would like a card to give me better color, speed, etc in general computer work.
I also like to do the 360 Aerial Panorama put out by the Russians. I would like to keep the cost
below $150 U.S.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Deciding on a video card requires suggestionsHey i made a topic a while ago about buying a video card, well my birthday is coming up pretty soon gonna be 16 yippie :D, so the present i really want to have is a good gaming card for my computer, im still debating on what type of card i want but here are my requirements :
Must not be over the...

Graphic Cards

Suggestions for a new card?Hi guys,
Currently I have a HP Pavilion PC but I play more games than anything else, it has an Intel G41 Express Chipset and the graphics quality isn't the best I'm looking for a better card does anyone have any suggestions on what I should buy?
Thanks!